DOMINION

A year on from the band's debut "Eternity" and the line up remains unchanged. This would however be lead vocalist Mark Vanderbilt's final album with Kamelot, his place being filled by Roy Khan for "Siege perilous". Drummer Richard Warner would also make his final appearance here.

This can therefore be seen as the end of phase one of Kamelot; not just because of the line up changes which would follow, but because the band's style would noticeably change hereafter. For the present though, we have a natural follow up to "Eternity", which remains very much in the same style.

Once again, we start with a symphonic overture which immediately reassures us that the band have ambitions beyond simply creating straightforward metal. The double paced drumming which segues from "Ascension" into "Heaven" however does remind us of the band's foundations. "Heaven", which is a sort of Dream Theater meets Iron Maiden number, does have some progressive tendencies, the tempo being altered several times during its four minute duration.

Speaking of four minute duration, that appears to be the template the band worked to for the entire album, the tracks always remaining within a narrow band of 3½ to 5 minutes. The following "Rise again" is a surprisingly melodic mid-paced song, with symphonic keyboards and an emotional vocal performance. The symphonic keyboards help to distinguish the album from others of a similar style and sound, "One day I'll win" for example sounding "Kashmir" (Led Zeppelin) like at times. The instrumental "Creation" is one of Kamelot's most adventurous pieces to date, featuring various band members displaying their dexterity one after the other. The synth is particularly notable here.

Overall, a highly enjoyable second album by Kamelot. While there are prog nuances in evidence, that is by no means the dominant impression. Those who enjoy the more melodic side of metal will however find much to please them here.

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